Friday, September 25, 2009

Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible and the Ignored by Juanita Rose Violini

Frozen frogs falling from the sky, the Jersey Devil, lost cities, giant birds carrying off children. They might sound as if they're all out of some B movie. Instead, these are all entries in the Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible, and the Ignored by Juanita Rose Violini.

Violini presents daily stories of the unusual, from Roswell to fireballs. Each short entry ends with a quotation, a secret power, and "To optimize." The entries are interesting, but become repetitious. There are lightning episodes scattered throughout the year, listed for the day or month they occurred. Sometimes it's a stretch to make the connection between the daily entry and the quotation. William James comments, "To change one's life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly. No exceptions." I'm not sure how that relates to "Illogical Lightning," except that it's flamboyant. And, the "Secret Power" and "To optimize" leave me bewildered. For that same entry of Illogical Lightning, the "Secret Power" says, " Today's power is the ability to change circumstances in a flash." The "To Optimize" for that day says, "Do what you are afraid to do." I'm afraid, I just don't get those.

My recommendation for this book would actually be as a gift for teens who enjoy the weird and the unexplained. They would gloss over the summary parts that seem disconnected, and would appreciate the Almanac of the Infamous, the Incredible and the Ignored.

6 comments:

This might work for my son--I like to read short selections aloud to him at bedtime. It could fit the bill for a short segment of time, once a day? Sounds like it's too disjointed to read at one sitting.

It is too disjointed for one sitting, Elizabeth. But, I think the entries would be perfect for a boy. They're each about 3/4 of a page, an entry a day. Perfect bedtime reading, and it would certainly lead to other reading. Topics such as the Bermuda Triangle, spontaneous combustion, etc.

About Me

I have been a library manager/administrator for over 30 years, in Ohio, Florida, Arizona, and, now, Indiana. Winner of the 2011 Arizona Library Association Outstanding Library Service Award. I am a contributing Book Reviewer for Library Journal, Mystery Readers Journal, and ReadertoReader.com. Author of the "Mystery Fiction" chapter in Genreflecting: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests (7th ed.) Winner of the 2009 and 2010 Spinetingler Awards for Best Reviewer.

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It's an honor to be asked to review books, and I'm grateful to all the publishers, publicists, and authors who send me books. Thank you. Reviews will appear on my blog if I've had a chance to read, and finish, the book. If I do not finish a book, I won't review it, and I will not respond to emails asking when, or if, I'll be reviewing a book.

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